TOMORROW TODAY

LETTERS FROM A FUTURE IN THE MAKING

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“Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.”

Fred Rogers

TOMORROW TODAY

Our world is a very different place now than it was yesterday.

It’s easy to remember a time before we all carried computers

in our pockets, when Tesla referred to a person instead of

a car company, when meetings started with a handshake

instead of a mic check. It’s less easy—but more important—to

imagine the ways our world will be different tomorrow.

What will the future bring?

It depends.

Tomorrow could bring discovery.

Will we embrace what’s new?

Will we honor what’s timeless?

Tomorrow could bring justice.

Will we reckon with our past?

Will we repair harms and correct

inequity?

Tomorrow could bring resilience.

Will we approach uncertainty as

learners, neighbors, and civic-minded

communities?

One thing is certain: tomorrow will

bring opportunities, and with them

will come challenges. A bright and

flourishing future won’t happen

by accident. It requires a vision for

what that future could be, a plan for

getting there, and the courage to take

bold steps together.

Through a series of letters from

such a future, this booklet envisions a

tomorrow where learning is a lifelong

pursuit, caring is a shared value,

equity is how we measure success,

innovation is driving us forward,

and our connections to each other

are keeping us whole. Alongside the

letters, you’ll meet people in the

Pittsburgh region who are making

this tomorrow possible through

the work they’re doing today. As

you prepare for tomorrow, take

inspiration from these letters

and examples.

A traditional Chinese proverb says,

“The best time to plant a tree was

twenty years ago. The second best

time is now.” Today’s the day. A

better tomorrow is possible if we act

now. Let’s forge a future where each

day holds promise for every learner—

where youth, families, and educators

connect timeless ideas with new ways

of learning to prepare for what comes

next, no matter what tomorrow

might bring.

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SCENES FROM TODAY

I n order to realize a bright future for learning, we must take a new approach

to supporting teachers.

transformED is radically

rethinking traditional ways

to help teachers hone

their practice. transformED

offers innovative, accessible

workshops that are

embedded in educators’

work and relevant to their

context.

LETTER FROM TOMORROW

L iteracy is fundamental to learning. As the domains of learning multiply, so do the definitions of literacy. The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (CLP) is powering a

renewal of literacy in all its forms to ensure that children

start school ready to learn, teens have space and time

to develop their creative and digital skills, and adults stay

engaged with learning throughout their lives.

August 10, 2035

Dear Mr. Ellsworth,

I hope you remember me, I certainly remember you! I was in your 9th grade

biology class back in 2022. I’m about to start my third year teaching middle

school computer science. I keep thinking back to your class and how much it

shaped me.

I’ve been meaning to write to you for a while now, because I wonder what you

think of what learning looks like today. There are obvious differences, like the

virtual projects my students work on with their peers around the world. Or the

adaptive questions that get more complex as students catch on.

But there are subtle differences, too. One thing I’ve noticed is that we don’t

use the word “education” much these days. Instead we talk about learning. You

always told us “learning is everywhere” and you were right! We’re learning more

than ever, but learning isn’t something that we do only in school, or only when

we’re young: it’s all the time and for everyone.

Every day, my students stream into school eager to build on what they just

learned at home, in their neighborhood, and online. When I was a kid, people

T he Consortium for Public Education is connecting teachers with regional employers to

help educators use project-based

learning so that students develop the

skills they will need to build careers.

4 5TOMORROW TODAY

talked about creating “learning pathways,” and for my students, that’s

the reality. I’m never at a loss for ways to enrich their learning at

museums, libraries, and community centers all over town, both during

and after the school day (and in the summer, too!).

The thing that excites me most is that the work my students do outside

of my classroom counts toward their progress in school. One test no

longer decides everything. Don’t get me wrong, there are still plenty

of kinks to work out. But we have a more complete picture of learning

now, thanks to the things teachers like you tried out years ago. I

remember how your crazy lab challenges really made me think and use

what I learned to solve real-world problems. I use a similar approach

with my students, but they’re not fazed in the least! They’re used to

facing novel challenges in almost every class.

Another thing that has come a long way is professional learning. My

older colleagues have shared stories of searching far and wide to find

useful and engaging workshops. I’m glad to have access to so many!

Being able to learn directly from veteran teachers, to get the latest

research, and to do it all in a collaborative setting has helped me grow

so much as a teacher. Maybe you’d be willing to take a break from

retirement to drop into a session sometime? I’d love to catch up and I’m

sure my colleagues and I would have a lot to learn!

Best,

Ada Williams

TOMMOROW TODAY

T he Arts Education Collaborative is working with school districts to develop a program that brings

teaching artists into schools as

qualified substitute teachers who

can integrate the arts into lessons.

6

August 24, 2035

Hi Alex,

I know it’s old fashioned to write a letter like this when we’re just a video call

away, but the birth of your first child and my first grandchild has put me in a

sentimental mood. So, if you’ll indulge me, I thought I’d take this opportunity to

offer some advice.

As a new parent, I’m sure you’re full of questions, hopes, and concerns. I know

that’s how it was for me. I felt like I had no idea what was coming next. The thing

to remember is that you are not alone.

I just heard from a former student who has become a teacher. I’m feeling

very encouraged that your generation knows that as adults, our most vital

responsibility is caring for children.

Your life is about to fill up with people who have dedicated themselves to helping

you and your daughter—teachers, doctors, coaches, other parents and families,

mentors. Each one will play a role in helping her (and you) turn hope into reality.

Trying Together is mobilizing a league of families and early-childhood professionals to advocate for high-quality early care and education. Through a mix

of policy advocacy, community resources, and support

for early-childhood professionals, Trying Together

champions the needs and rights of children, their

families, and the adults who care for them.

The Center for Urban Education (CUE) is tapping into the

wisdom of retired Black

educators to support

Black students. As part of

its mission to transform

educational opportunities

and experiences through

culturally responsive

teaching, CUE is enlisting

experienced high-impact

educators—retired Black

teachers—to form a

tutor workforce that will

support the learning of

Black students and their

teachers in Pittsburgh

Public Schools.

SCENES FROM TODAY

LETTER FROM TOMORROW

6 7TOMORROW TODAY

Countless young people grow and thrive because of relationships with caring adults

in their lives. The Mentoring

Partnership is creating on-

demand mentoring connections

to support youth throughout their

development. They’re creating

new opportunities through a web

platform that connects students

with responsive mentoring when

they need extra support.

I’m relieved and grateful to know that your daughter will grow up in a

world where she and all of her peers have high-quality child care. When

you were little, everybody knew how important the early years were. But

there was no guarantee that every child would get the kind of care they

needed. It took years of dedicated advocacy to do what was best for

children.

As she grows older, I hope you’ll help her find other caring adults,

too. The shift in attitude since the days when you were a child is

breathtaking—kids today are surrounded by caring adults who are

ready, willing, and able to help them thrive. Mentors can make a huge

difference in a child’s life and now it’s easier to find one than ever before.

There is no substitute for real relationships.

You know I’m biased, but to me, teachers are superheroes. I thought we

worked miracles back when I was teaching, but I’m blown away by what

I see when I visit schools today. Together with a few of my fellow retired

teachers, I tutor students at the neighborhood high school. From what

I can see, today’s teachers are doing more than imparting knowledge.

They’re caring for the whole child—attending to the social, emotional,

and cultural dimensions of learning, not just academics.

No matter what comes next for you and your child, just know that you’ll

find helpers all along the way.

Love,

Dad

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Our youngest and most vulnerable neighbors need advocates that lift up their voices. Allies for Children is building alliances to lead campaigns for

food access, nutrition, healthcare, school funding, and

other issues that impact kids. In collaboration with artist

activist collective 1Hood Media, they’re amplifying the

experiences of young people to build a vision for the

future of learning.

September 14, 2035

Hey Elsie,

It’s been too long. How are you? Hope all is right in your part of the world. Last

we talked, you were on the cusp of some big life moves. Well guess what? It’s

my turn this time: I just had a baby! Everyone is happy and healthy and so glad

to be home.

These days, life is what’s right in front of me: feeding, changing, cleaning,

napping, feeding, changing, cleaning, napping. It’s hard to find a moment to

think big, but when I have the chance, I like to think about all that my little one

will need to learn about the world she’s a part of. Believe it or not, I’m filled

with hope.

When you and I were growing up, things were so stark and tense. Remember

how hard we worked to have our voices heard so we could demand the change

that was necessary? Without that struggle, my child and her peers would be

facing drastically different experiences—and a lot of that would have been due

to the color of their skin.

The University of Pittsburgh School of Education is working

to ensure that the

educators they train have

a teaching practice that

is grounded in equity and

justice. They’re creating

professional development

and mentorship models

that help new and

practicing teachers

understand equity issues

and apply humanizing

pedagogies.

SCENES FROM TODAY

LETTER FROM TOMORROW

8 9TOMORROW TODAY

I’m not saying racism is a thing of the past, but our race is no longer

a predictor of the resources we have access to or the outcomes we’ll

realize. I feel fortunate to know that my child will be seen and valued

for who she is and who she will choose to become. That she’ll have

opportunities to shape the world and speak in her own voice. And that

she’ll see herself—her history and her future—in what she learns, who

she learns from, and who she learns with.

It feels like the paradigm has shifted since our childhood. Now, society

drives resources to where they are most needed. It’s amazing that my

neighborhood school has a Director of Relationships that helps make

sure the community’s assets are being put to the best possible use

for students. The quality of my child’s learning experiences won’t be

determined by her school or her neighborhood or whether she looks

like her peers across town.

There’s still so much work to do to ensure that each and every child has

what they need and is celebrated for what they already have, but I’m

excited that my daughter and her peers are growing up in a world that is

pursuing justice.

I can’t wait for you to meet my little one. You’re one of the people I hope

she gets to know as she grows up.

See you soon,

Alex

Realizing equity in our schools depends on leadership from diverse, informed, and effective school boards. But there are very few resources available to support our community members serving on school boards.

The Forum for Western Pennsylvania School Superintendents is exploring

new ways to help school board members across the Pittsburgh region build

expertise in policy, curriculum, instruction, equity, and innovation.

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September 29, 2035

Happy Birthday, Jamie!

I can’t believe you’re already ten years old. Weren’t you just born yesterday? Next

time we’re together, I’ll have to cut you in half and count the rings, like we did

with that tree stump, just to double-check.

Okay, serious time. I’m writing to share a grown-up secret with you for your tenth

birthday (because you’re practically all grown up now). Here’s the secret: the only

thing that stays the same is change.

So much has changed since you were born. Back then, we used oil from the

ground to power our lights. We carried around paper money to buy stuff. And

everybody had to drive their cars using their arms and legs to control where they

were going. The wildest part, time traveler, is that so much more will change as

you continue to grow up!

Remember when we talked about innovation? Innovation means solving old

problems in new ways. When your dad and I were growing up, people thought

they had the world figured out. They thought that all we had to do was memorize

Museums are society’s institutional bridge between innovations past,

present, and future. The

Carnegie Science Center

is ensuring that all students

have access to museum

experiences by building a

virtual field trip platform

that connects schools

to live explorations of

science centers, art and

history museums, zoos,

and aquariums.

The learning and relationships that students experience after school and in the summer are essential to their development. Allegheny Partners for Out-of-School Time

is training out-of-school educators in the practice of social-

emotional learning to help ensure that each and every child

in the Pittsburgh region has the skills and dispositions to

thrive.

SCENES FROM TODAY

LETTER FROM TOMORROW

10 11TOMORROW TODAY

Carnegie Mellon University is putting innovation to work for equity by connecting teachers, learning researchers, and technologists. A collaborative cross-campus effort is imagining a more just future for education technology

by exploring how it can be used to improve outcomes for learners of color

and learners in poverty. They’re working with racially diverse, high-need school

districts in the Pittsburgh region to develop augmented-reality technology that is

informed by the science of learning.

the answers. But guess what happened? The world kept changing. And we

had to figure out new answers, because the old ones stopped working.

When you were small, we all finally realized that change wasn’t going to

stop. That’s why everyone in your school learns to innovate. Innovation

is learning how to use a tool one way to do one thing, and then figuring

out how to use it a different way to do a different thing. Innovation is

your teachers finding out how people’s brains work and then using that

knowledge to help you make your brain huge and smart. Innovation is

working with your friends on projects to make things better, and to make

better things.

What makes innovation possible? You! Yes, you and people like you and me

and everyone else. Every human being is full of imagination and creativity.

Imagining and creating are how we build the world around us. That means

the world around you was built by people. And soon enough, you’ll be

building the world, too.

As you build the world, I want you to remember what makes you human:

your sense of yourself and your connection to your neighbors. Everyone

in your generation is a creative problem solver. The question you have to

answer is: what problems do you want to solve? I can’t wait to find out

what you choose.

Your favorite aunt,

Elsie

P.S. When was the last time you wrote Grandpa one of your famous letters?

I’m sure he’d love to hear about how you’re going to change the world.

The Heinz History Center is creating a regional “empathy path” that connects historic sites, libraries, and

museums across western Pennsylvania,

weaving together stories of the region

to help visitors understand that our

similarities often run deeper than our

differences.

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October 5, 2035

Dear Grandpa,

Aunt Elsie told me to write you a letter. She said to tell you about what kind of

problems I want to solve in our world. I think we have a pretty good world but it

is always changing. So there will always be problems to solve. It takes people like

me to solve them.

One problem in the world is that there are some people who aren’t happy. Not

everyone gets to go to school inside of a museum like me, and some people are

allergic to dogs. That makes me sad. I want everyone to be happy.

Here are the steps I would take to make people happy:

1. First I would need to figure out what is making them unhappy. Maybe they are

allergic to dogs or their toaster is broken or someone was mean to them (these

are just examples).

2. Then I would help them. We could work together to fix their problems. If

someone was mean to them, we could find them and ask them to be nicer. If

the mean person was mean because they don’t have friends, we could be nice

The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh is redefining the role of the museum in learners’ lives. Through youth-led, social-justice-oriented maker programs, museum educators

are supporting young people as they envision and create

resources to improve their communities. Five local education

organizations, including Manchester Academic Charter

School, are co-located inside the museum’s newest space,

MuseumLab.

Allegheny County Department of Human Services is reimagining

how to support families

and communities so that

all children can thrive.

Through a network of

27 Family Centers in the

county’s highest-need

neighborhoods, they’re

exploring how maker

learning can strengthen

the fabric of a community

while supporting childrens’

development.

SCENES FROM TODAY

LETTER FROM TOMORROW

12 13TOMORROW TODAY

to them and be their friend. Everyone is mean sometimes but playing

together makes a big difference. So if they wanted to play during

recess we could do that.

3. Then I think we could go and get ice cream: me, the unhappy person,

and the mean (but nice now) person. Or if their toaster was broken we

could fix it together.

After that, I think those other two would be able to help even more

people and spread the happy. We could play with all types of people

all over the place. It would help us talk about our feelings which is

important.

I think I can make this plan happen because I am a maker. I want to

spend my life making new things. I’m proud of some of the things I

made. Have you seen my maker portfolio online? I will show you next

time I see you. But I want to make more things that will make people

happy, which will help me be happy.

Gotta go now, see you at the library later.

Love,

Jamie

Play makes life better for people of all ages. The Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative’s Recess

Advocacy Team is dedicated to

elevating the importance of play

and physical activity during the

school day. In partnership with

Pittsburgh Public Schools, they’re

working toward recess practices

and policies that ensure every

student has access to playful

experiences at school each day.

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The letters you’ve just read depict one possible tomorrow.

The world these letters come from is more equitable,

innovative, and humane than our own. But the seeds that

flower in the gardens of this future are being planted today.

It’s up to us to see that they grow.

The future of learning holds tremendous

promise for our young people and for us.

Imagine the heights of achievement your

child, your neighbor’s child, your niece,

nephew, or grandchild will reach. Imagine

what an entire generation of creative,

innovative, compassionate, and skilled young

people could do. Imagine a world enriched by

the brilliance of our young people when that

brilliance is found, nurtured, and let loose.

This can be the future we meet tomorrow

—if we all commit to doing what it takes.

If we find the courage to question our

assumptions and accept the possibility

of transformation.

If we make the future everyone’s business

and reset the table so that everyone’s voice

can be heard.

If we prioritize justice and remake social

systems to be equitable and just by design.

If we tell a new story of learning and broaden

the meaning of success.

If we disrupt prevailing dynamics and

make room for broader and more inclusive

participation.

The future isn’t

guaranteed—it’s made. As

we navigate the traumas

and uncertainties of the

present, we must not lose

sight of a future worth

forging.

Tomorrow starts now. You

can start building it today

by sharing your hopes

for young people. Use

#RemakeTomorrow and

tag @RemakeLearning on

social media to share your

vision for tomorrow with

the world.

14 15TOMORROW TODAY

Acknowledgements

A Root + All project

Design by Little Kelpie

Photography by

Ben Filio

Charles LeClaire

Nick Lockerman

Andrea Pekelnicky

Renee Rosensteel

Nico Segall Tobon

Additional photos courtesy of Allegheny Partners for

Out-of-School Time, Allies for Children, ACCESS Paratransit,

Carnegie Mellon University Entertainment Technology Center,

Carnegie Science Center, Heinz History Center, The Tube City

Almanac, and the University of Pittsburgh School of Education.

This publication was supported by

Special thanks to

Kristan Allen, The Mentoring Partnership

Tracey Armant, The Grable Foundation

John Balash, Carnegie Mellon University

Jamie Baxter, Allies for Children

Emily Bengel, Allegheny County Department of Human Services

Kristen Burns, The Grable Foundation

Cassia Crogan, University of Pittsburgh School of Education

Connie George, Carnegie Science Center

Pamela Gaynor, Consortium for Public Education

Maggie Hannan, Carnegie Mellon University

Gregory Latshaw, University of Pittsburgh School of Education

Jerry Longo, University of Pittsburgh School of Education

Stephanie Lewis, Allegheny Partners for Out-of-School Time

Ani Martinez, Remake Learning

Maria Pisano, Trying Together

Ryan Rydzewski, The Grable Foundation

Yael Silk, Arts Education Collaborative

Jason Swanson, KnowledgeWorks

Colin Williams, Arts Education Collaborative

“ One of the greatest dignities of humankind is that each successive generation is invested in the welfare of each new generation.”

Fred Rogers

TOMORROW TODAY

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Other publications exploring what’s next for learning

If Kids Built a CityImagining possibilities for play in Pittsburgh

Learners FirstExploring the ways educators hone their craft

ReframedTools for completing the picture of learning together

Revised. Redefined. Remade.Envisioning the future of learning in greater Pittsburgh and beyond

Space to LearnSharing ideas and inspiration for transforming learning spaces

Still Hiring HumansForecasting the future of work in greater Pittsburgh and beyond

Available at no cost at grable.org/publications or remakelearning.org/publications

Tomorrow Today imagines the future through a series of letters imagined to be written years from now by people reflecting on learning, caring, equity, innovation, and humanity. Accompanying these make-believe letters are examples of real efforts taken by the people of today to shape what comes next. The future imagined in these pages is within reach, if we have the courage to act today for a better tomorrow.

What will tomorrow bring? It depends.

Tomorrow, powered by Remake Learning, is a call to forge a future where each day holds promise for every learner—where youth, families, and educators connect timeless ideas and new ways of learning to prepare for what comes next, no matter what tomorrow might bring.

To learn more, visit remakelearning.org/tomorrow